Want to find out how our Earth looked 5-6 million years ago. Then you need to go and see the Grand Canyon. For many ordinary people, it is still not clear what this is the famous Grand Canyon in Arizona. Meanwhile, everything is simple. The Grand Canyon is a lot of gorges connected in one ridge, which people have joined together, but having many separate names of their own. And all these gorges created one river – Colorado, for a very long time.
Due to the great age of the Grand Canyon, you will see traces of four geological changes of the planet, which store many fossils of animal and plant origin in the earth, which have already disappeared from this territory.
It is believed that the Grand Canyon is more than 450 kilometers long and 1,800 meters high. The width of the gorges varies from 200 or 300 meters to 1600 meters. Although different directories give excellent numbers.
The Colorado River in Spanish means Red River. It is explained simply. The red rocks paint the waters of the flowing river red. When the Spaniards saw this place, they immediately called the land and the Colorado River. This name is still preserved.
Because of the difference in height between the gorges, the Grand Canyon’s climate is very different. Somewhere below the desert zone of Arizona with a temperature of +37 degrees, and at the top in the forests to -17 degrees of frost and snow lies. Therefore, more than one and a half thousand plants grow here, 17 species of fish, 89 mammals, 9 amphibians, 47 reptiles, 355 species of birds live.
Tourists visiting the canyon during the whole year from the south side from numerous viewing platforms. But the northern part of the Grand Canyon is best viewed from May to October. Other parts of the gorges are difficult to access and removed. Although there are accessible hiking trails and roads. There with excursion tours only the most prepared tourists go.
Which travel activities are considered mandatory when visiting the Grand Canyon? Of course, it is necessary to conduct a helicopter tour over the whole Canyon in order to see everything from a height.
Then you have to take a picture on the walkway at the observation deck with a memorable sign and an inscription that certifies that “Tribes calling the Grand Canyon their home: Apache, Navajo, Zuni, etc.”. Before the arrival of the Spaniards, the Pueblo Indian tribes inhabited the territory of Arizona. Aborigines built houses in the form of caves there.
Many wish to repeat the route of the Powell expedition and float on a rubber raft along the Colorado River. But here we must have courage. After all, the waters of the Colorado River flow very quickly. The flow of the river is about 20 kilometers per hour. Therefore, one must have an idea or experience of riding a raft. The ability to swim here is also welcome.
If desired, you can ride the tourist path on a motorcycle in the form of a safari. A true cowboys waiting for an exciting ride on a horse or a mullah.
Those who do not like extreme sports are offered a train ride on the edge of the gorge or an inspection of all the remarkable things from a small plane. Here often there are fans of the real extreme, ready to show their art in flight.
If you do not like modern means of transportation, then it is for you that there are walking tours of the Canyon sights.
The most expensive observation deck Skywalk, This platform with a glass bottom seems to be hanging over the precipice, and many tourists are even afraid to go through this platform alone. And the Heavenly Path, which is made of glass in the form of a horseshoe, is much cheaper, but also hangs at 1219.2 meters. It’s not even possible to say that you feel more out of feelings – delight or horror, walking along the path or standing on a glass platform, seeing everything under your feet. Especially if you see emptiness and clouds below you.
From observation platforms you can see the Hoover Dam, built by the people of Lake Mead, beautiful views of nature that change right before your eyes. Ancient black ash of volcanic rocks, about 10 thousand years old, is adjacent to the red modern sandstone Esplanade, which is carried by the river. The tropical vegetation of the Fern Glen Canyon desert is adjacent to forests and snow.
